From their tagline (“Our readers are the smartest folks in the room”) to the wide variety of topics covered in their contents (coverage of the RISKSA regatta is front and center on their home page lately), the folks at RISKSA clearly have something to say.

And they do it well in their B2B magazine, which made off with a slew of honors at last year’s Magazine Publishers Association of South Africa PICA awards for publishing excellence.

Mark speaks of the changes in the B2B publishing world, where “fugly” used to be acceptable for an industry magazine, but no more.

“I suppose the major difference is that we really have to understand what we write about. We’ve found that proper content, an in-depth understanding of the industries we talk to, packaged in a quality high-end consumer-like magazine, provide the best channels for our advertising partners.”

He also talks at length about the importance of a cover that grabs and won’t let go, explaining that his magazine has to compete for attention at trade shows, in industry offices and in front of busy execs.

“The cover literally has to shout ‘pick me, pick me’ from amidst all the things distracting our reader at this point, not just other magazines.”

How does he manage that? By paying incredibly close attention to the cover image. The team starts with the lead, and then creates the cover art that can tell that story in a unique way that sets the magazine apart from anything else in their niche.

It’s a formula that works, and we wish the team well at this year’s upcoming awards, to be announced in November.